


On the High Seas

by MarvelousMenagerie (HiddenOne)



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Merchant!Tony, Pirate!Bucky, Pirates, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 21:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20749280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenOne/pseuds/MarvelousMenagerie
Summary: Bucky is captain of a pirate ship on course to an isolated island to pick up his hidden cache for market. Bucky finds his stash has been burned in a smoke fire rising to the sky and the man responsible - a man who goes only by the name of Tony.Tony barters for passage off the island, but there are more dangers to be had on the high seas...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MassiveSpaceWren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Pirate Bucky Art](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/522350) by MassiveSpaceWren. 

> A giant THANK YOU to MassiveSpaceWren who was wonderful to work with in the plotting & writing of this fun Pirate AU that was based on their art. I had such a fun time writing this fic!

Bucky watched Clint’s descent from the crow’s nest. As usual, Clint was fast and reckless, and it continued to surprise Bucky that Clint hadn’t broken his stupid neck yet. 

Clint’s feet thud onto the ship’s deck, and Clint survives for another day. 

Bucky sighed. 

Clint bound across the deck and up the stairs to where Bucky stands behind the wheel. The quiet waters haven’t required much effort from Bucky so far to keep them on course, but he likes having the ship under his hands. 

Captaincy is everything he dreamed of as a kid, though Bucky hadn’t quite expected to be captain of a _pirate_ ship. Still, he had a ship under his hands and an experienced crew at the ready. 

As Clint reached him, Bucky felt Natasha, his first mate, slide up behind his shoulder. 

“Tell us the good news,” Bucky told Clint.

Clint grinned, cheerful. “Land ho,” he said, but he pitched the phrase carefully so that his voice didn’t carry too far on the wind. 

Bucky raised an eyebrow, waiting for the bad news. Clint would’ve made that call up in the crow’s nest if that had been everything. 

Clint cleared his throat. “It’s just, um, that particular bit of land happens to be a bit smokey.”

Bucky frowned.

Clint scratched the back of his head. “Given our position and where the smoke is, I’m sure it’s coming from our little patch of land. Bit of bad news, that, given what’s on it.”

Bucky grimaced while Natasha softly cursed behind him. That island was the biggest of Bucky’s caches that he stored during his rum runs. 

He was on a rum run. This was supposed to be the stock-up to sell at port, but now he might be out of merchandise and coin to see them through. Well - unless they saw a nice, fat merchant ship between them and York. 

It was terrible timing, and Bucky couldn’t help but suspect foul play. 

“Get back up there and keep a careful eye out - in all directions. Call out any changes,” Bucky ordered.

“Aye, aye, captain,” Clint said with a salute. He scampered back to the rigging and up to his nest. 

“Continue our course, Captain?” Natasha asked as she prepared to take the wheel from him. 

Bucky waved her off. He usually preferred walking his ship when he was tense and monitoring the horizon himself, no matter how much Bucky trusted Clint’s sight. Now, though, he had different orders. 

“We will. Prepare the crew and the cannons.”

“Hydra,” Natasha guessed.

Bucky nodded. “If there was a lightning storm that started that fire, we would’ve seen it,” he said, voice flat. 

Bucky bit his lip. If this was a warning sign from Hydra, then he intended to read it. If this was a trap, then he intended to spring it. 

He thought he’d been careful enough changing his routes and hiding their trail as not to lead anyone - Hydra, the Royal Navy, or other pirates - to their hideaway, but he wasn’t so overconfident not to take precautions. As Hydra was the worst threat they might find waiting for them, Bucky would prepare for them. Anything else would be a less unpleasant surprise. 

Natasha went to prepare the crew, and Bucky remained at the wheel. He kept the ship on course, only wishing for better wind in the sails to increase their speed. Waiting was always the difficult part. 

They reached the island. The crew was restless, many sailors keeping a weather eye out on the horizon for approaching enemies, but the sea remained clear of ships. 

Bucky evaluated the island. Only a section was on fire, the flames eating away at the palm trees and vegetation, but that section contained his hiding spot. However this happened, Bucky suspected it was deliberate. 

“There’s nothing for us here,” Natasha warned. 

Bucky ignored her as he climbed into the row boat that would take him and three other crew members to shore. He would not let the intentional destruction of his cache go, and he wanted to know who did it. 

Whoever it was would have left a sign, and Bucky was going to find it. 

Natasha sighed. “If we see a ship on the horizon, we’ll fire the cannons.” 

“Give us time, but don’t wait too long. Leave us if you need to.”

Natasha nodded reluctantly. She was loyal but not stupid. It was one of Bucky’s favorite traits about her, and the reason he could trust her to act as captain in his stead. 

Bucky kept a sharp eye out for any movement in the trees, but he saw nothing as they rowed onto the beach. He started for the fire as his crew pulled the boat up onto the sand behind him. 

When the breeze blows the smoke clear, Bucky saw his crates and bottles stacked together in the center of the flames. His stash had been found and ignited, just as he suspected. He searched the edges of the flames and the surrounding sand for a clue or sign. 

Any other pirate ship would have taken the stash for their own, not burned it. Hydra would be springing their trap now, but Bucky saw no disturbance and Natasha had yet to signal an approaching ship. Could it have been the Royal Navy, stumbling upon his spot? 

There were footprints in the sand. 

Bucky drew his gun and pointed it at the prints to the rest of his crew. At Bucky’s signal, one man retreated, heading back to the boat to guard their exit. The others trailed Bucky as he followed the tracks. 

There was one set of footprints, and Bucky scowled. There had to be more than one person, no matter who set his cache on fire. The person had tried hard to hide their tracks - brushing over the sand with leaves, but Bucky knew how to track. 

The masked prints stopped at a cluster of rocks, and Bucky halted.

“Captain?” one of his crew whispered. 

Bucky waved them quiet. 

He liked to know who his enemies were. This didn’t _feel_ like Hydra’s work - they would’ve jumped on either Bucky or his ship by now. The Royal Navy wouldn’t take care to hide their tracks. 

That left someone new, and if Bucky had new enemies he needed to know who they were and why they’d want to come after him and his. 

And if this had been Bucky, masking his tracks and not wanting to be found, then he would - 

Bucky looked up and searched the trees. Bucky turned, careful, deliberate, and then spotted him. The red shirt gave him away, even as it was becoming dirty brown and mostly hit behind leaves. 

“Down,” Bucky ordered. “Watch for others,” he told the rest of his crew. 

The man in the trees hesitated, but then he carefully slid down out of his hideout. On the ground, the man raised his hands and kept them open. No weapons. 

“Please don’t shoot. If I wanted to die I would’ve done it days ago and saved myself this whole struggling on a stranded island thing. Do you know how exhausting it is to survive on an uninhabited island all by yourself?”

Bucky was caught between humor and annoyance, and so he said nothing. 

Bucky evaluated the man. His clothes were dirty and ragged, and they hung off the man’s shrunken frame. There was still strength there - Bucky has had practice as judging how far desperate people can be pushed - but there is no doubt as to the loss of weight and muscle. The spark of fire in the man’s brown eyes still burned, though, so Bucky would treat the man with caution. 

“You set my stash on fire,” Bucky accused.

The man winced. “That was yours? Of course that would be yours. Um, hey, we can come to an agreement, can’t we? First, let me say I’m sorry. I totally get why you might be angry, I mean, I would be too. I was angry setting it on fire - that was some quality stuff you had.”

Bucky cocked his gun. 

“I can pay you back,” the man rushed out. “With interest, even! I hated to do it, really, I just needed a signal fire so I could get off this forsaken island. If I had carrier pigeons I would’ve gone with that, and the whole message in a bottle thing required paper to put in the bottle and I’m not quite sure about the tides in this area, so -”

“So you set my merchandise on fire and now want to negotiate for passage,” Bucky summarized. He kept his gun aimed and leveled the man with a cool smile. “You better have something else to offer other than your wit.”

Though really, Bucky was charmed despite himself. Had to give credit to a man who was stranded and starving and still talking his mouth off. 

“Would you take a vow of silence? No, I’m kidding, I don’t think I could manage that. Um, well, I mentioned it earlier but you might have missed in all the babble, but I can pay you back. With extra, for all the inconvenience you’ve experienced.” 

The man smiled winningly. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have proof of such a reimbursement on you, of course,” Bucky said with an arched brow. 

The man grimaced. “No dice. Well, except for one thing. A sign of faith, if you will.”

“Which is?”

“I didn’t set fire to everything. I needed something to console myself with if my smoke signal didn’t work, you see - and maybe a couple extra besides, just in case I had enough hope for a round two.”

Bucky grinned. He put his gun back in his belt. “So what do you propose?”

“Safe passage to the nearest _active_ port,” the man started, his eyes sparking and spine straight. 

Whatever had brought this man to the island hadn’t beaten him, not yet. Bucky found himself thinking that was for the best. He was curious.

“Food, water, and board for the length of the journey,” the man continued, “where I am not harmed anymore than I am right now. For that, I’ll pay market price for what I’ve burned, plus an extra fifteen percent for your trouble.”

Bucky crossed his arms. He had no guarantee the man had the money, but even the merchandise that he didn’t burn was worth it. And, Bucky admitted to himself, something about the man’s bearing had Bucky thinking the man was important - or at least used to giving orders. 

“You’ll pay _my_ market price for what you’ve set on fire, return every bottle that you haven’t burned, and sixty percent on top of that.”

“Sixty?!”

Bucky shrugged. “Payment for passage is included in there. You did set my wares on fire. It’s no problem to me to leave you here, either.”

An idle threat, Bucky knew, but there was no harm in pushing this deal in his own favor. 

“You get nothing but loss if you leave me. I have no reason to point you to where the rest of your stash is - that I’ve hidden quite well, if I say so myself - if I can’t get passage off. Twenty percent.”

Bucky lets himself be bartered down to forty percent. There had been plenty of crates on that pile, and so that should more than cover the addition of one passenger. 

Besides, Bucky had plenty of room in the brig. 

“You trust the word of a pirate?” Bucky asked casually, holding out his right hand for the man to shake on their deal. 

“Gonna risk it, yeah,” the man said, giving Bucky a firm handshake. “Though I’ll be holding my breath after I show you where the rest of your stash is.”

Despite himself, Bucky laughed. 

They traded introductions as they found and dug up the rest of the crates that hadn’t been thrown onto the fire. 

“Just Tony?” Bucky pressed, wondering if he would recognize a last name. If the man was rich enough to afford to pay for his mistakes, then it was possible.

“Just Tony,” Tony replied with a blinding grin. 

“Well, just Tony. I hope you have coin to pay for what’s missing,” Bucky said, his voice deceptively calm. There were fewer bottles than what he hoped for.

He corrected himself. With his first look at the fire, Bucky had assumed everything was lost. This was better than nothing, even if it turns out Tony was putting on an act and couldn’t pay. 

“I’m good for it,” Tony claimed. 

Bucky eyed him. He couldn’t decide if Tony’s confidence was enough as to be genuine, or if edged on the side of bluster. Bucky would do just as much to get himself off being stranded on an island, too. 

“How did you end up on the island?” Bucky asked. 

“Bad luck, Captain…?”

“Just Captain,” Bucky replied.

Tony grinned. “Cute. I mean, I would take a gander that you might go as Captain Hook but -”

Bucky let his face go blank. He knew it was an intimidating look. 

Tony bit his tongue, stopping the rest of the sentence from coming out of his mouth. 

Bucky tugged his left sleeve up, making the peg arm with the hook attachment obvious. He looked at its sharp, gleaming point and then gave Tony a dark look. 

“What were you saying?”

Tony’s gaze went from Bucky, to the crew, to the bottles of alcohol that he had already located for them. 

“Nothing, Captain,” Tony said. 

Bucky respected him a bit more for knowing when to shut his mouth. 

“Shall we get these to the boats?” Tony offered.

Back on the ship, Natasha eyed Tony. “Who is this?”

“Tony,” Tony greeted as he stepped forward and bowed. “And who might you be?” He reached for her hand to kiss, but Natasha snatched it away. 

Natasha turned away from Tony. She raised an eyebrow at Bucky, the equivalent of repeating the question. 

Bucky felt the smile tug at his lips as he explained the deal he and Tony had arranged. He clarified that he’d agreed to _safe_ passage when Tony’s wink at Natasha made her finger her knives. 

“And where will we stash our new guest,” Natasha asked, unamused.

“I was thinking there should be space on the lower deck, starboard side,” Bucky commented casually. 

Natasha didn’t grin, but it sparked in her eyes. She knew what Bucky meant. 

“I’ll make sure he feels right at home. Follow me,” she snapped at Tony. 

Tony saluted Bucky before following Natasha down to the lower deck. 


	2. Chapter 2

Tony raised his head at the sound of footsteps down the stairs. A boy came into view, and Tony stared as he saw the boy was carrying a plate of food. 

His stomach rumbled. He was so tired of coconuts. If he never had to eat coconut for the rest of his life, he would die a happy man. 

“That looks delightful,” Tony commented as his mouth watered. Anything that wasn’t a coconut looked appetizing. Then he made himself lean back and relax. He was on a pirate ship. He needed to be less obvious. “Unless you’re here to eat it in front of me,” he offered casually. 

The boy snorted, unimpressed. “Nah, it’s for you.”

The boy set the plate and cup down in front of the bars in Tony’s cell. 

Tony hadn’t given a lot of thought into how the Captain would house him on the ship. Tony had only known to specify safe passage and hope the pirates lived up to their words - a fool’s hope, but it was all he had. 

He _had _hoped for a ship from the Royal Navy. Rhodey would be out looking for him, right? Rhodey would see the signal. Tony’s accomodations on a Navy ship would have been much nicer, Tony was sure. 

But the pirates had shown up first and spotted him, and so now Tony had a spot in the brig. 

At least there were no other prisoners crammed in here with him, though it did smell and Tony could hear rats scurrying around. 

When the boy backed away and headed for the stairs, Tony cleared his throat. He’d been tortured, knew the type, but, well - again, he hoped. 

“Is this, uh, I mean - are you really going to leave my dinner outside my cage?” 

Tony’s voice was starting to rasp. He was getting thirsty. 

The boy shrugged. “Captain says I’m not to unlock it in case you try something. Bars are spaced enough where you can figure it out for yourself. If you can’t, well, then you’re probably too stupid to live very long anyway.”

Tony chuckled. He scooted to the front of his cage - it wasn’t far. He could stand up in it if he wanted to, but for once in his life he was glad he never had much of a growth spurt. 

“Children learn all sorts of things these days, don’t they?” Tony asked as he grabbed the biscuit off the plate. He couldn’t quite fit his entire hand through the hole, but enough that he could grab the food. He’d have to be careful not to tip the cup over. 

The boy had put everything in easy reach. Not a torture method then. 

Bread. So much of Tony’s dreams on the island had been about bread and biting into a delicious, crusty, warm, yeasty loaf. This biscuit lived up to none of his dreams, other than it wasn’t coconut flavored. It was a flat, hard disc that crunched in Tony’s mouth. 

Still. _Textured foods_.

And when his teeth start hurting he can soften the biscuit in the cup of what smelled like ale. 

“Do I look like a child?” the boy asked, offended.

Tony finished chewing the biscuit. He swallowed and planned his next bite. He’d missed actual food so, so much. 

“Yeah, you do,” Tony answered, still focused on his food. “Is this a new thing? Do they not have mirrors on pirate ships anymore?”

He took another bite and sighed. _Food_.

“I’m fourteen!”

“Child.”

The boy scowled, clenching his fists. Tony realized that he’d managed to anger his captor - again. Without looking like he was rushing, he dragged the cup of ale closer to his cage by the rim. 

Tony could hear Rhodey’s voice chiding him in his ear. He should’ve waited until after he’d eaten to antagonize. Now he had a clear, visible weakness. 

How cruel would a boy who had grown up on a pirate ship be?

But the boy didn’t kick Tony’s plate over, take it away, or even spit at him. The boy only glared at Tony. 

“Only _rich_ people think that,” the boy said with a sneer. 

Tony paused. Clearly his agreement with the Captain had passed around on the ship fast enough. Tony might have to pay out more than promised, if other crew members started crafting their own deals to guarantee safety. 

Pirate ship, Tony sighed. He took passage on a pirate ship. 

“Rich people, huh?” Tony murmured without expecting an answer. He was on a pirate ship and so was this boy. Tony could make a couple of guesses as to what happened to get a fourteen year old child, thinking he’s a man, onto a pirate ship - and Tony didn’t like any of them. 

“What’s your name?” Tony asked.

The boy straightened his shoulders, looking down at Tony from every inch the boy could spare - not many. “Harley.”

“I’m Tony.”

“I don’t care. I’m not your _friend_ and you’re not going to convince me to help you. I’m loyal to my Captain,” Harley declared with fury and then stomped away.

Tony smiled. At least whatever Harley’s story was, it hadn’t yet put out the fire in him. 

Harley seemed to be the only person tasked with seeing to Tony’s needs - mainly, bringing Tony food and emptying out the waste bucket. Tony was never visited by anyone else, and Tony looked forward to the quick, short moments where there was another person around. 

The island had been lonely, too. He enjoyed the short conversations that he and Harley would have. The boy was quick and witty, always willing to shoot back at Tony’s jokes. 

“How’d you get left on that island anyway?” Harley asked. 

Though sometimes Tony didn’t fully appreciate Harley’s curiosity. 

Tony smiled. “Oh you know us rick folk. I wore the wrong gloves with my outfit, offended the queen. Etiquette is so very important.”

Harley snorted. “That’s a lie,” he said as he set down Tony’s dinner. “You probably did something horrible.”

Tony lost his grin. He wondered what a kid on a pirate ship would classify as ‘horrible.’ He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

“Undoubtedly,” is all he said in response. 

He didn’t want to think about it. He _didn’t_ want to think about it. 

“Did you, uh, kill anyone?” Harley asked as he shifted on his feet. 

Tony could still feel the heat from the explosion on his face. The salt water in the wounds on his chest. The struggle to swim the island, where it had seemed a refuge at the time. 

The burning sun and the vacant horizon, where Tony wondered if he’d escaped only to die on the shores of what he thought was paradise. 

“Yes,” Tony replied. 

He had done it to save his own life, but what did that matter? He’d still killed them, and even if the Ten Rings were a worse sort of pirate than Tony found himself in association with now, well - they were still dead by Tony’s hand. 

And yes, Tony would do it again if he had to. 

Tony rubbed at his chest where the scar still ached. 

“Well, looks like you might’ve deserved it, then,” Harley concluded with a sharp nod. 

Tony grinned at the simple logic, but it wasn’t a warm one. “Probably. Done a lot of terrible things in my life,” he admitted. 

Even before he’d been captured by the Ten Rings, he’d done horrible things. All of which had been legal, but well - that still didn’t make it right. 

Harley left him, and Tony settled back against the bars of his cage. He didn’t feel like eating just then. 

The next day, Harley doesn’t arrive with Tony’s meal. Tony suspects this had more to do with the rocking of the ship than Harley’s commentary on Tony’s deeds though. The ship swayed, and Tony pictured the roiling waves of the sea. 

He wasn’t one to get seasick, but not being able to see and brace for the next heave had Tony nauseous. 

A storm. A big one, he suspected, or at least big enough. He’s both glad there isn’t a porthole near him to let water in, and also angry that he can’t see what’s happening. He hadn’t protested the safety of the brig for him - it kept him away from the rest of the crew, which had its benefits - but now he hated his captivity. If only he could _see_.

Then, he heard it. The boom of thunder and the crash of lightning. The ship heaved, and Tony was thrown against the wooden side of the ship. Again, and Tony’s shoulder slammed into the bars of the cage. 

In a prison this small, at least he didn’t have far to fall but the groan of the lumber and tossing of the ship didn’t provide the illusion of safety. 

If this ship was built by Hammer Shipping Inc, then Tony was going to die in this storm. Tony had asked Harley about the make, but Harley had kept his lips shut. Apparently pirate ship origins were classified information. 

The waste bucket clanged close to his face, and Tony decided that he’d had enough. If he was going to drown, he wasn’t going to do it trapped in the brig. And if he wasn’t - well, at least he could smell the fresh air again for a moment before getting thrown back below deck. The crew would be busy with other tasks for a time anyway. 

Tony used the tongue of his belt buckle to pick the lock. 

The cell door swung free, and Tony scurried up the stairs. He didn’t see the need for stealth, and couldn’t have managed it even if he wanted to. The steps shifted under Tony’s feet as the ship rocked on the waves, and he slammed into the walls multiple times as he staggered to the surface. 

He reached the deck and was instantly soaked with water. Rain pelted down in a sheet, and Tony couldn’t make out the bow of the ship. He heard the shouts of the crew above the wind, but Tony went unseen in the chaos on deck. 

The ship swayed and then a wave blasted Tony to the side. He clung to the wooden railing to keep him on board. 

Maybe coming above deck hadn’t been the smartest move. 

The ship heaved again, and Tony struggled to remain on his feet. 

A high-pitched yelp sounded near, and Tony squinted through the rain for the source. A body slid by him, knocking into the railing and then tumbling over it. They disappeared into the dark. 

Tony’s brain pieced together the sound of the yelp and the size of the body. 

Harley.

“Man overboard!” 

Tony heard the shouts, but didn’t join in. He was too busy looking, looking - there, a coil of rope. He tied one end around his waist as tight as he could. 

Someone rushed passed him, looking over the railing into the open sea where Harley disappeared. 

“Tie this down,” Tony shouted, then realized he was ordering the Captain. 

Tony didn’t have time to worry. He gave himself one more second to scan the black, roiling water but didn’t see Harley. His brain had already counted the seconds it had been since Harley was swept over, had taken in the motion of the ship, the strength of the waves, and gave Tony the most likely vectors of Harley’s travel. 

It resulted in a lot of ground to cover. Tony took a deep breath and dove into the water. He quieted the part of himself that was hoping that the Captain would listen, that the Captain would anchor Tony’s rope so that he could focus on how best to search the water for Harley. 

The water was crushing. Black waves pitched Tony left and right, throwing him off his carefully plotted course. He swam, but he had no reference to gauge how much he was actually moving through the water. 

“Harley!” Tony shouted, hoping. “Harley!”

Hoping. 

Tony waited for a reply, but heard nothing but the roar of the storm. He ducked underneath one wave and surfaced at the base of another which tossed him back down into the sea. He was pushed and pulled and sank, and for several panicking moments Tony didn’t know which way was up. He was running out of air and didn’t know which way to swim. 

The rope cut into Tony’s waist, yanking him sideways. 

The Captain had come through. The ship was on the other end of that line. 

And Tony knew which way was up. 

He breached the surface with a gasp. “Harley!” he forced out, as loud as he could. “Harley!”

If Harley had already been dragged out farther than Tony’s tether, then there was no hope. Still, Tony hoped. 

A wave pushed Tony beneath the surface. The salt water stung his eyes, his limbs ached. 

Something slammed into Tony, knocking the rest of the air out of his lungs. He had a moment of fear that there were sharks out in the storm before he was pushed back to the surface. 

He gasped for air and almost laughed. Harley was hanging onto him, hands fisted in Tony’s shirt. 

“There you are. Out for a swim?” Tony shouted over the storm.

Harley gave Tony a weak smile that quickly gave way to fear. “You got a way home?”

Tony wrapped an arm around Harley. He wished he could risk retying the rope to Harley’s waist for additional security, but he didn’t dare. 

“Follow the rope!” Tony shouted in Harley’s ear. 

“Brilliant!”

The waves shoved and yanked, the rain pelted into their eyes. Tony kept a firm grip on Harley and kicked as strong as he could, following the rope. The water tried to push them apart or suck them under the surface, but Tony kept his grip. 

The ship appeared out of the storm, a hulking shadowed figure. Harley cheered, and Tony let him. 

Tony wasn’t going to inform Harley of the next challenge - how to board a heaving, rocking ship during the middle of the storm? Did either Harley or Tony have enough strength to climb back up the rope without getting washed away by another wave? 

They approached the ship, and Tony worried about getting bashed against the side. 

“Tony! Harley! Over here!” 

Tony peered through the rain. There was a cluster of people, and they were holding a net. 

Tony smiled. 

Tony and Harley got closer and closer, and a net rained down over their heads. They were fished from the ocean with quick, sharp heaves. 

Tony spilled onto the deck of the ship, gasping, while Harley groaned next to him. 

Sharp, blue-grey eyes stared down at Tony. It was really unfair how pretty pirates could be, Tony thought, and he started to laugh. Hysterical, unstoppable laughter bubbled up from Tony’s throat. 

Tony caught the Captain’s smile. 

“Take them to my cabin,” the Captain ordered. “Yes, both of them, it’ll be easier for Bruce to handle. And the rest of you lot see to it that no one else falls off my ship!”


	3. Chapter 3

Tony managed not to collapse onto the Captain’s bed - he was sure that would be unwelcome both because he was a prisoner and that he was soaked. Tony took a seat on the floor instead and leaned against the wall. Harley found a spot in a wooden chair that was bolted to the floor, body splayed out in weariness. 

The door banged open, and a small man with curly brown hair and a frown on his face barged in. 

“You know better than to get washed overboard,” the man snapped at Harley. “Next time don’t be an idiot. Do you know the odds of finding a body in this storm, one that’s still _alive_ anyway? No, you don’t know the math, I do. Guess what it says? That you were damn lucky!”

“I didn’t mean to,” Harley whined.

“Well I suppose that’s better than the alternative.” The man’s scowl deepened, then faded. “Ugh, here.” He tossed Harley and Tony towels of thick, woven linen. “Dry off and don’t touch anything.”

“He’s going to kill me.” Harley sighed.

“Yeah, and you’ll deserve it.” The man turned back to Tony and gave him a small smile. “Thank you, by the way. For some reason we’re still fond of this rascal. That was a brave thing you did.”

Tony shrugged, focusing on getting water out of his ear with the towel. “Eh, I’d miss the meals.”

“Someone else would’ve fed you,” Harley defended. “You weren’t going to starve just because - I, well -”

“Drowned?” the man interjected kindly.

Harley scowled.

“I’m Bruce, by the way,” the man said. “I’m the one cooking those meals - and the one with enough sense to stay down below in the kitchens rather than wander above deck to get swept overboard.”

“Alright, alright.” Harley hid his face in the towel and scrubbed dry. “You had your angry moment you’re supposed to be nice now.”

Bruce rolled his eyes.

Bruce went and fetched them dry clothes. Harley had his own spare set, and Bruce loaned Tony some of his since they were a similar enough size. And Bruce was too busy fussing over Harley and Harley too busy being fussed over that they didn’t notice Tony turning to hide his scars on his chest. The dry clothes, blankets, and salted beef strips were quite the reward for their excursion, Tony thought. 

This was much better than getting thrown back in the brig. 

Bruce left them in the Captain’s cabin so he could return to the kitchen and prevent anything untoward from happening during the rest of the storm. 

Dry and warm, Tony started to eye the bed. He was sure the Captain would be displeased, but it had been so long since Tony had slept in a bed. If he was headed back to the brig anyway, shouldn’t he push his luck?

Harley had fallen asleep while curled up on the chair, and Tony chuckled. 

Counting to three, Tony heaved himself to his feet. He stumbled back into the wall as the ship dipped again, but he was able to stay upright. He made his way over to the chair and picked Harley up. 

The door swung open, cool air breezing in. Tony staggered back as the ship rocked, and he was caught by a strong arm and a firm chest.

“Oh, uh,” Tony stuttered as he realized that the Captain had come back to his own quarters. 

“Bed,” the Captain directed, using one hand to help Tony lift Harley. 

“That was the plan,” Tony explained as together they staggered over to the bed. 

Harley slept through the entire process as they set him down on the mattress. The Captain spread the blanket over Harley’s body and then turned to Tony. 

“You create many problems.”

Tony snorted. “What, like saving one of your crew? I think you mean, ‘thank you, prisoner. I can’t believe you were so kind and selfless as to risk your own life.’”

The Captain scoffed and picked up the towel that Harley had left on the floor. He dried his face, then scrubbed at his hair. 

“There would’ve been plenty of volunteers to take your place. If you were looking to impress me, you didn’t.”

“Impressing you doesn’t even make the list of reasons I did it,” Tony drawled as he crossed his arms. 

The Captain glared, then sighed. “Still, you did save Harley. So thank you.”

The Captain unbuttoned his shirt with one hand. Tony watched warily as he undressed. 

“Your gratitude is overwhelming,” Tony muttered.

The Captain didn’t ask for help, even as the sodden clothing stuck and made it difficult for him with only one hand. He managed it eventually, dropping the soaking shirt onto the floor and then drying his chest and shoulders with the towel. 

The Captain gave Tony no attention other than to turn so that his left arm faced away from Tony. Tony couldn’t see how the hook arm attached, or how far up it went. 

Still, Tony could see enough. He gulped. Another time, another place, and he would’ve offered to help dry the Captain’s back. The muscle definition on the shoulders was something Tony wanted to memorize, and touching would’ve helped plant that picture in Tony’s memory for a good long while. 

He didn’t, of course, because he was a prisoner on this pirate’s ship - and also because Harley still snoozed away on the bed. 

The Captain started undoing his pants. 

Tony bit his tongue and said nothing. He turned away, thinking of anything else to take his mind off the sounds of wet clothes plopping onto the floor and the image that the Captain would make behind him. 

There were rumors about the proclivities of pirates, of course, but Tony was better off not knowing. He didn’t need to know.

He corrected himself. He didn’t _want_ to know. 

The ship rocked, and Tony could stumble backward oh so conveniently, but he kept his feet. He was going crazy trapped on first one pirate ship, then an island, and now another pirate ship. 

The creak of a trunk being opened meant the Captain was digging for clothes. Tony bit his lip and peeked. 

Worth it. 

“Now I have to decide what to do with you,” the Captain said. 

Tony bit back the first thing that came to his mind. 

“I can’t throw you back in the brig after you’ve saved one of my crew,” the Captain continued with a sigh. “Unless you do something terrible, like fight one of my crew or steal something of mine. You didn’t, did you?”

Tony heard the jangle of a belt buckle and decided it was socially acceptable to turn and face the Captain. The Captain was clothed, and Tony let go of a little sigh of relief, only - the Captain’s shirt was still open, revealing his chest. 

It was completely unfair for a pirate to also be pretty, Tony thought. 

“Do you have something worth stealing?” Tony asked.

The Captain grinned. “Wouldn’t be telling you that, would I?”

The ship tilted, the timber groaning. The rocking was lessening, with more time in between heaves. Both Tony and the Captain kept to their feet, but the Captain’s shirt slipped off one shoulder - his left shoulder. 

Tony glimpsed it for a second, but it was long enough. The flesh ended halfway down the bicep, and the wooden arm attached by straps. It was the brand, though, that had Tony going cold. He knew that mark - Rhodey had told him. 

Only Hydra pirates branded their command with a star, and the Captain’s star was on his left shoulder. 

“You sure she’s going to hold?” Tony patted the ship’s walls as his brain spun. He knew the risks of accepting a voyage with a pirate ship. That it was Hydra shouldn’t matter to him, should it? It shouldn’t bother him. It wasn’t the Ten Rings and it wasn’t being stranded on an island. He had been promised safe passage. It didn’t matter. 

Tony kept telling himself, but his heartbeat was loud in his ears. 

“She’s well made and been through worse than this.” The Captain had shrugged his shirt back on and was halfway through buttoning it. “Got her off this Nordic group. You’ve heard of Thor?”

Tony shook his head.

“Best sea-worthy vessels if you’re willing to travel that far north, but worth it. The _Revenger_ and I have been through a lot together.”

“The _Revenger_?” Tony commented mildly.

The Captain lost the bit of smile that had blossomed on his face when talking about his ship. 

“It fit.”

Tony nodded. 

The Captain told Tony to sleep in Harley’s cot that night. Tony fell asleep in it at once, even while the waves still rocked the ship. 

When Tony woke, the storm had cleared. The sea was smooth, a beautiful greenish-blue as far as he could see. He caught glances from some of the crew, but he loved being able to move freely about the ship, smell the fresh air, and feel the sun on his face. He wouldn’t face going down below just yet, not until he was ready to risk being locked under again. 

Besides, it’s not like he was a threat. There was nowhere to escape _to_, out on the open sea, and he wasn’t about to attack the only people who would help him get back to civilization. Civilization - a real bed, real food, and real people. Not pirates or kidnappers, but actual people. 

Tony could hardly wait for port, but the journey might take a bit longer. 

“That’s not meant to be like that,” Tony commented to no one as he took in the leaning mast. 

The first mast toward the bow of the boat had splintered some thirty feet up. The sails and rigging had fallen back onto the main middle mast, tangling together in a mess of cloth and rope and wood. 

“No wonder the Captain said you were quick.”

The first mate appeared over Tony’s shoulder so suddenly that he startled. 

“Did he? I’m flattered.” Tony tried to get his heart rate back to normal. He gave her a short bow, mostly for fun. It’s not like etiquette laws actually had recommendations about dealing with pirates. 

She snorted. “If you try to kiss my hand again, I will kill you.” 

“I consider myself warned.” Tony grinned. “Any estimates on how much this might delay our arrival.”

“Yes.”

Tony waited, and waited, and waited. He sighed. “Would you care to _share_ your estimates, milady?”

“Not with you,” she said, her tone cold and clipped. “And call me ‘milady’ again and see what happens.”

Tony kept his mouth shut. The Captain had promised safe passage, but there was only so much Tony was willing to do to put that to the test. 

He decided to see if Bruce needed any assistance in the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

Natasha joined Bucky where he stood observing the repair of the mast. 

Clint had already reported that the main mast was unharmed other than a few rips in the sail cloth, so Bucky was unconcerned. Even without one of their masts, they were still able to sail as long as they had the main mast. 

“He’s lucky to be alive,” Bucky commented dryly. “You weren’t that nice to the last man who flirted with you.”

Natasha smiled. “Jealous?”

Bucky snorted. “Sorry, Tash. That ship sailed long ago.”

Natasha punched him in the shoulder. He chuckled but rubbed his arm. The punch had still hurt. 

“Oh please, do you think I’m that stupid? He may be our prisoner, but he saved Harley. That kind of heroics was bound to catch your eye, even if he wasn’t attractive.”

“Don’t let him hear you call him attractive.” Bucky grimaced. He knew he was still too easy to read, and he hated that part of himself. Tony’s quick thinking, his act of selflessness - and yes, those warm brown eyes - had caught Bucky’s attention. 

Not that it mattered. Tony was a prisoner only until so long as they hit port, besides which Bucky was the pirate who was extorting him. 

“He somehow picked the lock on his cell. He shouldn’t have been able to do that,” Bucky said. 

“I’ll look into it,” Natasha promised.

And, because Natasha was kinder than she let herself think, she dropped the subject of Tony. 

By the time the crew had untangled the broken mast from the main and lowered it to the deck, night was falling. Bucky ordered the sails on the main mast lowered and repaired by tomorrow morning so that they weren’t dead in the water. 

The wind was starting to pick up, and Bucky was starting to feel the prickles on the back of his neck. He disliked standing still in open water when other ships - all of them enemies on the high seas - could appear. 

He couldn’t take part in the repair of the sails though. His stitching was terrible. He also couldn’t sleep, his mind and body too restless as he waited. 

Bucky looked up to the stars. Finally, on this clear night, he could guess they only had three, maybe four days left at sea as long as the wind held. The storm had blown them off course, but not too far. 

He walked the rounds of his ship. The moon was a sliver in the sky, so he had just enough light to see. The darkness meant he was almost upon Tony before Bucky realized that it wasn’t just another member of his crew. 

“Oh, you need a bed,” Bucky realized. Harley would be sleeping in his own cot tonight, which would put Tony back in the brig unless Bucky ordered something else to be done. 

“Is that an offer?” Tony coughed. “Uh, sorry, reflex. I’m fine. Can’t sleep anyway.”

Bucky was grateful to the night for hiding his face. “None of my crew would harm you,” he assured. “Unless provoked.”

“Right, thank you, but that’s not - it’s just a thing. Sleeping. Me. Sometimes it happens, some nights it doesn’t. It’s fine. It’s not a, a fear-thing.”

Bucky searched for something to say but came up with nothing. 

“I mean, your crew is properly intimidating.” Tony’s words were rushed. “A force to be reckoned with, I’m sure. I hope I never have to see them in action, though you know, I bet it’s devastating.”

Bucky grinned, ducking his head to hide it. “I’ll pass your flattery onto my crew.”

“Oh no, please don’t. Your first mate hates me enough already.”

Bucky laughed, surprising himself. He cleared his throat. “Nat runs a tight ship. She doesn’t take kindly to pretty words,” Bucky replied. “Especially -”

He cut himself off. He didn’t need to justify Natasha’s actions or any of his crew’s, or even his, for that matter, to the prisoner. 

Tony hummed. “Especially being a woman in an isolated place dominated by men who typically haven’t been trained for manners?”

“Something like that.” Bucky smired. “But even your manners aren’t inclined to impress.”

Even in the darkness, Bucky saw Tony wave away the warning. 

“No, I’m not - habit is a poor excuse, I guess, but I really didn’t mean to - she’s gorgeous, of course, but that’s not - oh, just toss me overboard.”

Bucky felt the smile that tugged at his lips as Tony stumbled. Something in him settled to hear that Tony didn’t have any genuine interest in Natasha, but Bucky ignored that part. 

“Careful what you say or we just might,” Bucky teased. He leaned back, more relaxed, against the ship railing. “We are dastardly pirates, you know. None of us would be jumpin’ in after you.”

“It would be a shame to ruin your hair. I would never ask it.”

Bucky chuckled. Other than the slap of waves against the ship’s hull and footsteps of one of the crew in the distance, the night was quiet. Bucky stared up at the night sky, glittering with stars, as he let the breeze play with his hair. 

This, this was one of the reasons why a ship would always be his home. This was why he worked as a dockhand as a kid, begging every sailor for stories or advice. This was why he signed up to crew for any ship would take a young, untrained lad and teach him to sail. This was why he didn’t let Hydra chase him off the high seas. 

For moments like these. 

“You aren’t what I expected.”

Tony’s voice was soft. Bucky blinked. He turned, and Tony’s gaze moved from Bucky’s left arm to Bucky’s face. 

“Don’t be fooled. A pirate is a pirate.”

Bucky strode for his cabin. 

Not even the hoisting of the repaired sails for the main mast assuaged Bucky’s black mood that next morning. They were a moving ship once more, but Bucky snapped at his crew to make haste in repairing the first mast. 

His crew jumped to, rigging the first mast so they could lift it using the main mast for leverage. They would have to hoist the broken mast and refit, using spare wood and tar that Bruce would cook up to patch the broken timbers back together. 

Bucky had an experienced crew, and they worked with speed and efficiency - especially under Bucky’s watchful eye. He had no reason to worry. 

Still, he worried. 

Natasha approached, but Bucky sent her back to the wheel. He didn’t need or want to snap at her, and all the crew required him to do was glare to keep them in line. His scowl was enough. 

Mid-morning, Clint called out that there was a ship on the horizon. 

Bucky’s shoulders straightened. His mind cleared. The wait was over. 

“Bring it down,” Bucky shouted. They didn’t have time to fully repair the mast, and he needed every hand on deck for the attack that would be coming. 

He strode back to the wheel. Clint’s boots hit the deck, and Clint bounded up the steps to join Bucky and Natasha. 

“It’s Hydra,” Bucky said. Their ships often scavenged the seas after a storm looking for easy prey. 

“Too early to tell,” Clint argued.

“It’s not a friend,” Natasha said. They had no friends on the high seas.

“I’d take the Navy over Hydra.” Clint sighed.

“Hoist the colors,” Bucky ordered. “We’ll scare them off if we can, but otherwise prepare the crews. I want cannons and guns at the ready. We won’t outrun anyone like this.”

Bucky turned and analyzed his crew. They were calm and quick, several already racing for the cannons that were housed on the lower deck while the rest tied down the mast so it wouldn’t fall on them during the upcoming battle. 

Bucky’s gaze caught on a still figure with brown, floppy hair. Tony was at the railing, looking at the speck on the horizon that would eventually become a ship. 

“Get ‘im back in the brig,” Bucky told Natasha, nodding to Tony. 

One less concern to worry about. If the ship was Hydra, than it was better that Hydra thought Tony was also an enemy, as there would be no mercy for friends. If the ship was Navy, then better Bucky not test Tony’s loyalty. 

Bucky ignored Tony’s startled shout as Natasha manhandled him back below deck. 

Clint got the Jolly Roger flag hoisted up. Bucky waited and watched as the approaching ship came closer and closer. He had steered the ship away, hoping to give his crew more time to prepare. He didn’t anticipate outrunning anyone given their broken mast, but this ship was coming up fast. Even if she’d been in top shape, Bucky wasn’t sure the _Revenger_ would be able to beat that speed. 

That told Bucky what he needed to know. This was a ship built for a quick hit and run. Clint’s eyes soon confirmed Bucky’s suspicion. 

The approaching ship’s flag was black with a bright red skull and eight octopus legs. 

Hydra.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony slapped his hands against the bars of his cell. The small space wasn’t big enough for him to pace out his frustration. How dare they lock him up again! Tony would rather be up on deck with a gun or a sword or even a plank of wood to defend himself than to sit here and wait to be struck by enemy fire. 

Tony was pulled up by a thought. What if was the Navy that was coming? What if it was _Rhodey_? 

Could Tony sit by and let Rhodey kill this crew? They were still pirates, even if they weren’t what Tony would’ve expected for pirates. But Tony certainly couldn’t let the pirates attack Rhodey or Rhodey’s crew. 

Tony slammed his fist against the bars. He didn’t know what to do.

Especially since Natasha had taken his belt so he couldn’t pick the lock again. 

“What bit your bits?” Harley asked as he poked his head around the corner. “Thought you’d be glad to stay away from the fight, fancy mate like you.”

“Well, you thought wrong,” Tony corrected, taking a deep breath for patience. “Who is it?”

“Hydra.” 

Tony frowned. “But _this_ ship is Hydra.”

“Are not! You thought we were that scum this whole time?”

Tony almost smiled at Harley’s indignance, but he tamped it down. “You do know you’re on a pirate ship, right?”

“Pirate, sure, but we aren’t _Hydra_,” Harley sneered. 

Tony frowned. He knew what he’d seen on the Captain’s arm, but Harley was confident. Tony didn’t think that was the kind of connection that could be hidden from the crew. It would make more sense if they weren’t Hydra, as the Captain hadn’t matched what Tony would’ve expected from someone who sailed under Hydra colors.

“Any affiliation that you’re allowed to tell me about then?” 

It was good to know that he wasn’t in Hydra’s hands. Though, with Hydra headed their way, being Hydra would be of benefit at the moment.

“Nah. We’re just the _Revenger_. Captain makes the rules and we don’t got to answer to anyone but ourselves.”

“Fantastic. That really puts my mind at ease. Why don’t you spring me from this cage and I’ll help you fight off Hydra?”

Harley snorted. “Not a chance. Captain wants you in there, you stay in there.”

“I saved your life!”

“Yeah, thanks, by the way!” Harley called out before walking away. 

Tony shook the bars of his cage, grumbling about stupidly loyal crew members and life-debts. There was nothing for him to do but wait. Wait for the fight, wait for the cannons, wait for death. 

Well, unless the Captain and his crew won - though this was Hydra. They could use Tony’s help. He knew his way around guns and cannons and explosives. He was a _Stark_. He would bet that this ship carried Stark weaponry. 

All the pirates seemed to have them - for some reason that Tony needed to discover soon. 

Stark guns were the best, and if the Captain would travel so far north to get the best ship, he probably had acquired the best weaponry too. 

Still, Tony didn’t quite feel like letting the ship in on the secret that he was a Stark. Tony didn’t want to bankrupt the company to pay off the ransom, after all - or for Hydra to find out that he was on board and become a bargaining chip. 

He shouted for Harley to come back, to release him. Harley didn’t return. 

He heard the fire from the cannons first. The booms surrounded him, but that didn’t bother him. That meant his ship’s cannons were firing and hopefully destroying Hydra before he caught a cannon ball in the stomach. 

It was the softer, distant booms that he was afraid of. He wouldn’t have a chance at dodging such a big iron bullet - not without a lot more warning and a much bigger cell. 

He heard the cracks in the ship’s wood and reconsidered his stance. He might rather die by cannonball than by drowning encased in these bars. 

The screams and yells grew louder and Tony wished he was somewhere he could _see_. The enemy ship must be close. Who was boarding who?

The cannons continued to fire. He could only count them to pass the time. Four, five, six. He could no longer tell which were fired from his ship and which were from Hydra’s. They were too close. 

Feet clattered down the steps, and Tony looked up. A man with a sword burst in, tense and ready to fight, but then relaxed when he saw only Tony. 

“Well, well. What do we have here?” There was a dark glint in the man’s eyes. 

Tony hadn’t met all of Bucky’s crew, but all signs pointed to Hydra - especially that gleeful grin. 

Tony spread his hands in surrender. “Clearly no threat to you or your crew. I can wait until later,” Tony tried to bargain. 

“I think I’ll have my fun now.”

“Uh, that’s a dumb plan, a really dumb plan -”

The man stalked toward Tony, grinning. 

“You don’t want to do that!” Tony winced. He only saw one card to play. “I’m Tony Stark.”

The man laughed. “That means I’ll get a medal if I bring back your head.” 

He rammed his sword through one of the holes in the cage. 

Tony ducked underneath the blade. If he palmed the sword just right, he might be able to slam the pommel back into his attacker. The handle on the sword wouldn’t let him pull the sword completely into the cell, but if he - 

“What, they don’t want me to build things for them?” Tony readied himself for the next stroke. 

The man grunted and tried another slot. Tony had to press himself against the side to avoid being stuck. 

“Safer if you’re dead.”

“You don’t seem high enough on the food chain to be making that call. Just go ask your captain if they really want to be responsible for the death of Tony -” Tony yelped and dove for the floor, the blade passing just above him. 

They should really build these brig cages bigger. 

The sound of a gun shot made Tony squeak. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain - but it didn’t come. Tony opened his eyes. 

The man from Hydra thudded to the floor, blood leading from his throat. 

“You’re Tony _Stark_?” Harley asked, voice awed. “Your name is on all our cannons!” 

Tony lifted himself up and dusted off. He cleared his throat. 

“Um, yes. That’s me. Nice shot, kid.”

“Now we’re even,” Harley said, his gaze carefully averted from the dead body as he stored his gun. He turned to leave again. 

“Wait!” Tony called out, reaching in plea. “Please let me out. You don’t have to give me a weapon or anything, just - please don’t leave me locked in here.”

Harley bit his lip. “Captain said you’d be safer in the brig.”

Tony snorted. “Clearly not, unless you plan to guard my cage the whole time.”

Harley growled and raced off. 

Tony collapsed against the wall with a sigh. He could, if he tried, at least get a handle on that sword. He’d maybe be able to stick something with it, if he kept the element of surprise and they were as dumb as the last guy. Maybe he would be better off pretending to be dead. 

Quick footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Tony slumped over, playing dead. 

“You want out or not?”

Tony opened his eyes to see Harley standing in front of his cell. Harley was _unlocking_ his cell. 

“What the hell took you?” Tony mumbled as he got back on his feet. 

“I had to go get the key.”

Tony raced up the steps behind Harley. He had the sword from Hydra and not much else. He’d rather have a gun, but Harley had already proven himself a crack shot - and Tony wasn’t going to take any protection away from Harley. 

Besides, anything was better than being trapped in that cell. 

Together, Harley and Tony peeked above deck. There were several dead bodies, and Tony didn’t know who all was Hydra and who wasn’t. He saw the flash of red hair from the first mate and then behind her - the Captain. 

Tony’s chest eased.

The Captain was steady, his movements unhurried. His long blue coat whipped as he moved, cutting down the enemies that ran toward him. He used the hook of his left hand to swing on a rope, putting him in a cluster of Hydra pirates and levelling them. 

Still, more and more from the Hydra ship crossed the gangplanks to attack. 

“Got a plan?” Tony thought having Harley snipe from his current position was a good idea, and Tony could watch his back and handle anyone that came in close range. 

“Yeah, I have a plan,” Harley scoffed. “_Attack_.”

Harley lept above deck, aimed, and shot. A body fell, but Harley had caught attention. 

Tony stepped forward, sword in hand. “Great plan, kid.” He pushed Harley behind him as Harley struggled to reload bullets into the chamber of the gun. 

It had been months since Tony’s last sword fighting lesson. He had bullied his chief of security, Harold Hogan, into teaching him, but then Tony had gotten busy and the lessons had fallen away. Not again, he promised himself. Not if he got out of this alive. 

Tony handled one opponent simply with the combination of speed and surprise. The other took a lucky blow after a couple of very lucky blocks on his part, and then the last one - the last one fell on her face right in front of Tony. 

The Captain stood behind her, his sword bloody. 

“Get below,” the Captain ordered Harley. 

Harley took one last shot and then scurried below deck, scowling. 

“You told him I was safer in the brig?” Tony asked as he scrambled to grab the gun of a dead man lying on deck. 

“Better Hydra think you’re not with me. Now get below!”

Tony growled. “No. You need my help,” Tony insisted. He took aim and fired. A man crossing the gangplank onto their ship yelped and fell into the waters below.

“We can handle this,” the Captain said as he stepped forward to deal with another woman. 

Tony saw someone take aim at him. He ducked and slid to an open spot behind the Captain. He and the Captain stood back to back, and Tony kept alert as he watched for another target. He aimed and fired. 

Another Hydra pirate down. 

“You’re losing Captain,” Tony said softly so that it wouldn’t carry. He might not be able to tell exactly who was Hydra or not except by who attacked him, but there were too many pirates crossing over from Hydra’s ship. 

The Captain didn’t argue. 

“I can help. Grab your crewmember with the best arm and meet me back here in five minutes.”

“Stop ordering me!” the Captain snarled, but Tony was already darting away to one of the now unmanned cannons on the top deck. 

He hadn’t wanted to announce his discovery to the world. The only ones who knew of it so far were himself and the dead members of the Ten Rings ship who had captured him. Now, Tony was about to show this pirate crew what his mind was capable of when desperate. 

When he was allowed access to explosives with a gun was pressed to his head. When he was asked to build weapons for the wrong people. When he decides to escape or die trying. 

When he lives up to his name as the Merchant of Death.


	6. Chapter 6

Bucky cut down another member of Hydra’s crew as he cursed Tony’s name. Tony was his prisoner, _ not _ his superior, and Tony did not get to give Bucky orders. 

Even if Tony was going to helpful. Bucky was the captain of this ship. 

Rumlow, the coward, stayed on Hydra’s ship. Bucky had shouted threats across the gap when he realized that Rumlow was captaining this Hydra vessel. Bucky would love to cross over those gangplanks and enact revenge for his arm, but he was needed here. He would not abandon his crew, and the Hydra numbers were overwhelming. 

Maybe Tony had a game changer - something that would wipe that smirk off Rumlow’s face. 

Bucky waited for Tony by the railing, killing off as many Hydra pirates as he could. He kept an eye on Natasha, who was holding her own, but pointedly didn’t look at Clint. Clint would be up in his nest, shooting from above, and Bucky didn’t want to give away his position in case Hydra hadn’t found it yet. 

Tony scurried back, appearing on Bucky’s left side so suddenly that Bucky almost stabbed him. 

“Whoa, friendly here,” Tony warned as he danced back out of the way of Bucky’s sword. 

Bucky didn’t bother apologizing. “What do you have?” He eyed the metal ball that Tony was cupping. 

Tony grimaced. “A mix of things that I’m not going to tell you about. But it’ll explode. A lot.”

Bucky took a closer look, but it didn’t seem special to him other than that Tony was cradling it very gently in his hands. It looked too small to cause much damage. 

“You’re sure?”

“Very. It will sink a ship.”

Bucky took a step back. There was something in Tony’s eyes - not confidence, something sadder - that made Bucky believe him. 

“We don’t have time for this tea party, boys.” Natasha used a knife to take out a man who was sneaking up on Bucky. “Get a move on.”

“Tony’s got us an explosive plan. If he’s right -”

“I know what I’m doing,” Tony protested.

“-then you need to get to the wheel and steer us away.”

“What’s the signal?” Natasha wiped the sweat from her brow. 

“You won’t miss it,” Tony said, voice grim. “Now, who has the best throwing arm?”

“Me,” Bucky said as Natasha darted away. “And we’ll need to take care of those gangplanks before they rush over and steal our ship to make up for theirs.”

“I got it. You worry about this, or we’re sunk anyway.”

“Get Clint to help you,” Bucky continued. He would not be ordered on his own ship. “Now, give that to me.”

Tony hesitated for a moment before he handed it over. “There’s a fuse I’ll need to light, then you’ll have maybe three seconds before it goes off.”

“Three seconds!” Bucky almost dropped the ball in shock. It’s lighter than he expected for the damage Tony claimed, but it still had some heft. He would be able to throw it to Rumlow’s ship with some degree of accuracy. 

Bucky wished he could throw it right in Rumlow’s face, but Bucky knew that wasn’t the smartest target. But he wished.

“Best I could do.” Tony sighed. “I can throw it if you’d rather not chance losing the other arm.”

Bucky snorted. “This better live up to your promises. Hold it again, I need to find the best placement.”

“The other ship,” Tony muttered as he carefully took his creation back. “I’m just saying, I only made one of these and it is possible for them to spontaneously erupt, with pressure and friction and -”

“Hurry up, I get it,” Bucky replied as he stepped onto the ship’s railing. He hooked his left hand onto a rope for balance and surveyed Rumlow’s ship. Hydra built their ships for speed, sitting light on the water. They never had much cargo to carry, as they only took the best from their raids. There were plenty of cannons and weaponry, of course, but not enough to weigh the ship down. 

She wasn’t heavy. She wouldn’t go down fast - giving Rumlow too much time to try to take over Bucky’s own ship - unless Bucky chose the perfect target. 

“Hurry up!” Tony’s gun was out and guarding Bucky’s back. 

Bucky was drawing attention, standing here. Rumlow’s grin was visible to Bucky, even if Bucky couldn’t hear the words Rumlow was shouting. 

Bucky drew his sword. He stood, face set, and glared. 

He raised his sword, pointing it at Rumlow in threat. “Light it and give it here,” Bucky ordered. He sheathed his sword and put his hand out. He didn’t take his eyes off Rumlow, just lowered his hand and waited for the weight. 

“Be quick,” Tony said. He placed the ball in Bucky’s hand but stayed the wrist. “I’m lighting it in your hand. Faster that way.”

“Is now a bad time to mention that I’m left-handed?”

“Oh for the love of - now!” Tony snapped, yanking his hand away. 

Bucky threw, whipping his arm. He watched as the metal glinted in the sun, arcing toward Rumlow’s ship before it fell short. Down, down, down toward the sea until - 

A flash of light and a resounding boom. 

Bucky fell back onto the deck, startled. Tony broke his fall. 

“You okay?” Tony patted Bucky down, searching for injuries. “Get up, get back up. I need to deal with the gangplanks.”

Bucky groaned - again with the orders - but got back on his feet. Tony raced away down the railing. 

Bucky looked over the side. All along both ships, people clustered to the edge to view the damage. 

Bucky had aimed just above the waterline. Tony had kept his promise - there was a gaping hole in her side, with water rushing in. It was more damage than a single cannon would ever be able to do with just force. This explosion had the ship already tipping back, her bow rising. 

“Get those planks down!” Bucky ordered. 

Rumlow and his crew were racing for the planks or ropes to swing across. 

Tony had fought his way to one gangplank and managed to kick it off the deck. Clint swung down from the crow’s nest and broke another, and together they worked their way to a third. Bucky pulled out his gun and started aiming at any Hydra who tried to swing across the water. 

“Get us out of here, Nat!”

Timbers groaned. Bucky felt the deck shift under his feet as Natasha yanked them hard to starboard, needing to get them away from the sinking ship. The wind was on their side, but Bucky didn’t know what damage Hydra had wrought on his ship. 

Well, at least he’d sunk Rumlow. The _ Revenger _ had lived up to her name once again, though Bucky was far from done with his revenge on Hydra. 

Bucky’s heart raced as he and his crew continued to fight, the end finally in sight. A few more chaotic moments, and then finally they were away. No more Hydra could cross. There was no Hydra ship to return to. 

And Hydra, now realizing they were stuck and outnumbers, started doing Bucky’s job for him. No Hydra pirate lets themselves be taken alive. Some jumped overboard, perhaps with the hope of eventual rescue, but the rest cut their own throats. 

When the last of Hydra was dealt with, Bucky found Tony by the railing watching the last of Rumlow’s ship sink beneath the waves. 

“What the hell was that?” Bucky asked. 

“How I got myself stranded on that island.”

“You sank your own ship?” Bucky wasn’t surprised. While it was a great weapon, it wasn’t something he thought he wanted on one of his vessels again. At least cannon balls wouldn’t accidentally put holes in your own hull. He was more surprised that Tony was stupid enough to experiment on the open seas like that. 

“A Ten Rings’ ship. It was the better choice,” Tony said quietly. 

Ten Rings, than the island, and now Bucky’s crew with a Hydra attack? How long had it been since Tony had seen a familiar face?

Bucky didn’t ask for any more details. He knew of the Ten Rings, and knew they were a nasty sort. He had his own Hydra experiences he didn’t want to talk about. He touched his bicep, where his brand still sat. One he would never be able to remove. 

Tony saw the move. He looked up, his warm brown eyes now dark. “I saw your mark, back in the cabin. Thought you were Hydra, for a bit there. But -” Tony nodded back to the remains of Rumlow’s ship beneath the waves. “Obviously not.”

“I was,” Bucky admitted. “I - it’s a long story.” 

A story of his capture on the high seas, as another sailor on a Navy ship, until Hydra had trained and twisted him until Bucky had become a captain in their armada. With the deeds he’d done and the brand on his arm, Bucky had no way to return home or even run - until he’d met Natasha and together they’d made a break for the north. 

Tony unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open. There were scars on his chest, still raised and inflamed. “I know how some things stay with you. And, well -” Tony smiled, something hard and cold, “this was my own hand, even.”

“Well at least you kept yours,” Bucky said, brandishing his left hook of an arm. 

Tony’s grin softened into something wry. “What a pair we make.”

Bucky chuckled. He realized that he and Tony had stepped closer together. Tony’s shirt was still open, and Bucky wanted to use the metal of his hand to trace the scars. 

He stepped back and turned away. 

Tony was a prisoner. He was a rich man who would leave Bucky’s ship behind in a few days, never to be seen again. Bucky wouldn’t blame Tony if Tony never stepped foot on another ship, after what he’d been through. 

“Harley!” Bucky shouted, striding away from the railing. He had much to do. “Take stock of the hull and make sure we won’t sink just like that Hydra scum.”


	7. Chapter 7

“You know, I’d thought when we hit land that I’d be free.”

Bucky pushed Tony through the streets with a hand on Tony’s shoulder. Bucky had put a cloak on Tony that was pulled up over Tony’s face so that no one could recognize Tony - or see that Tony had a blindfold over his eyes. 

“Soon enough. I just need insurance that you’ll pay your end of the bargain, is all,” Bucky said. 

This was a moment that it was nice that the terrible reputation of piracy worked in his favor. Tony had saved Harley and then helped save the ship with that explosion. Bucky should, if he was an honorable man, just let Tony go. That’s what any honest sailor would do. And Bucky _wants_ to, but the storm and Hydra had his ship damaged, his crew injured, and his food stores low. He needs money for his ship and crew more than he needs honor. 

One of the reasons Bucky stayed being a pirate even after leaving Hydra. 

The _Slaughtered Pig_ was full of enough debauchery that Bucky and Tony’s entrance didn’t merit any attention, even if Bucky was also in a cloak that hid his own face and left hand. It was why Bucky had chosen it. 

Bucky tossed a few coins at the bartender and was quickly shown a room above the bar. Tony had trouble with the stairs and muttered curses at Bucky the entire way. 

Bucky grinned and pushed Tony into their room. He sat Tony on the bed and then tied his hands together with rope. 

“Blindfold stays on,” Bucky ordered and then left the room. 

Bucky didn’t expect to be obeyed and he also can’t lock the room from the outside, but he doesn’t have to go far. He quietly walks over to the room next door and raps - two knocks, pause, three knocks.

Steve Rogers, a captain in the Royal Navy, opened the door. 

“What the hell did you drag me out here for?” Steve whispered as he pulled Bucky inside. 

“Got a guy who owes me money -”

“Bucky -” Steve groaned in protest.

“Hey now, shut it. He agreed, gave him safe passage and everything. I just need to see if you know the guy. I need the money and he said he had it but if it bankrupts him, then, well, I don’t know, maybe we’ll negotiate. Or if he tries to double-cross me then I want you to keep an eye out for him.”

Steve glared. “So you want me to help you extort him, but not _too_ much. At least unless he goes back on his word.” 

“Somethin’ like that.”

Steve sighed, long suffering. 

Their friendship was a careful balance, with Steve being on the right side of the law and Bucky very much not. That Steve didn’t throw Bucky immediately into jail upon seeing him still surprised Bucky, and Bucky tried not to tell Steve anything that Bucky should be arrested for. They made it work somehow - _Steve_ made it work somehow. Steve was the one risking his life and honor. All Bucky had to do was trust Steve, and that was easy. 

Steve caved, resigned, and so Bucky led Steve to the other reason that Bucky had chosen the _Slaughtered Pig_. There was a peephole in the wall - for when guests paid for a showing of the room next door. 

Bucky peered through first. Tony had taken the blindfold off but was still working on the ropes tying his hands. 

Bucky let Steve look. Steve froze, body tense, before he jerked back from the wall and turned to Bucky with a frigid glare. 

“You kidnapped Tony?”

“I didn’t kidnap him!” Bucky protested, offended. If he had, he certainly wouldn’t have brought the man to Steve. How stupid did Steve think he was? “He bartered his way onto my ship!”

Steve didn’t listen. Steve was already striding out of the room, and Bucky hurried after him. 

“Steve, Steve!” Bucky hissed, but Steve didn’t hesitate before barging into Tony’s room.

Bucky growled. Bucky had gone to a lot of effort to arrange Steve being in one place and Tony in another where Tony wouldn’t be able to see or hear that Bucky knew someone in the Royal Navy. Bucky didn’t want to get Steve in trouble or blackmailed due to an association with a pirate, but there Steve went - throwing all of Bucky’s work out the window to get himself in trouble. 

“Tony! We all thought you were dead!”

Tony brightened. “Steve! What the devil are you doing here?”

Bucky frowned. “You know each other?”

“Bucky, you kidnapped Tony Stark.” Steve glared. 

“I already told you, I didn’t kidnap - Tony _Stark_?”

Bucky froze. Tony offered a weak grin and a short wave with his still-tied hands. Steve threw another glare at Bucky and untied him. 

Bucky rubbed his temple. “I should’ve guessed with that explosion.”

He had the world’s foremost weapons designer and contractor on his ship, and he hadn’t known. He hadn’t used that knowledge at all, except when Tony had volunteered that bomb during the Hydra attack. Bucky isn’t sure if it was for the better or worse that he didn’t know. 

At least it explained why the man had been kidnapped by the Ten Rings. 

“Explosion?” Steve asked, but Bucky waved the question away. 

“I thought - well, I thought you knew. That someone might have mentioned it… no? Okay, well -” Tony looked surprised, then pleased. “Hi, nice to meet you. I would’ve said something earlier, but the name Tony Stark already got me kidnapped by the Ten Rings so was a bit hesitant.”

“Ten Rings?!” 

“I get it,” Bucky said, ignoring Steve’s question. “Though it would’ve guaranteed you passage off that island.”

“Island!”

“Was hoping for a bit more of a _red_-coat rescue, to be honest,” Tony said. “Figured the Navy would be out looking for me.”

Steve huffed. “We were. Commodore Rhodes is still out searching, actually. I would love to hear the story if you two would just _explain_. Bucky, please -”

“Aw, Rhodey Bear, he doesn’t give up,” Tony said with a small smile. “Wait - _Bucky_? Bucky _Barnes_?”

Steve threw his hands up. “How were you two on a ship together so long and didn’t know who each other was?”

“You can’t talk, you never told me your best buddy as a captain of a pirate ship!”

“Steve, you never mentioned you were friendly with Tony Stark.”

Tony sat back and pouted. “What’s that about, Steve? Why don’t you talk about me to your friends?”

Steve glared at Bucky. Bucky smirked at Steve. Tony winked at Bucky. 

“I don’t think I like this.” Steve sighed.

Tony Stark doesn’t break his promises, especially not where payment was concerned. Bucky knew that a Stark could afford it, so didn’t protest - Steve did that for him, which Bucky didn’t appreciate. Still, Tony kept his end of the deal. 

Now, standing on his ship with Tony’s crates of gold in front of him, Bucky didn’t feel as good as he thought he would. He had more than enough for ship repairs and food stores, even with as long as they’d be put up to wait to allow both ship and crew to heal. 

Bucky sighed. “I didn’t end up offering you safe passage. We should deduct some.”

Tony waved off the excuse. “Classic danger of any sea-faring vessel. You won, I lived, end of story.” 

“You sunk Hydra’s ship and cut that battle short,” Bucky argued. “You saved Harley’s life.”

“He already saved mine in turn. That one’s square.”

Bucky growled. He was back on his ship and he wasn’t used to being argued with. “You did more than your share on that voyage. Pay me for the rum you burned on the island, since you have to, and keep the rest.”

Tony had been generous with the market price of Bucky’s merchandise. It would be enough for what Bucky needed. 

Tony tilted his head, considering the offer. Bucky wanted to throttle the man. Why didn’t Tony just take the offer and go back to shore? Tony had an empire to run. 

And Bucky needed Tony off his ship and out of his mind.

Tony had washed, changed, and groomed. There was no doubt he was a prince, and he didn’t belong on Bucky’s ship. They should have only met if it had been Bucky raiding Tony’s ship. 

“How about you take all of it, and consider it a down payment on a new voyage?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. 

“I mean -” Tony’s words began to rush. “I want to know who sent the Ten Rings after me. They knew I would be on that ship. They _searched_ for me, and kept me alive to build weapons for them. Someone told them where I’d be. I want to find out who.”

“Steve would help you,” Bucky said, knowing his words were true. 

Tony shook his head. “I want revenge. Figured that’d be better on the _Revenger_.”

Bucky crossed his arms and looked at Tony with suspicion. 

Tony sighed. “There wasn’t anything to go on. Steve said he’d listen and keep an eye out, but there wasn’t much hope. It’s - I suppose I’m guessing, more than anything else.”

Bucky smiled. “You want to sail out, dig up some Ten Rings ships, and shake ‘em till they talk?”

“Yeah, I think I do.”

Bucky eyed Tony, then laughed. “Just when we thought we’d gotten rid of you. Natasha will be so pleased.”

“Natasha is not pleased!” Natasha called out from farther down the ship. 

Bucky shook his head and turned back to Tony with a grin. “You’ve got yourself a deal there, Stark.” He held out his hand.

Tony clasped it. “My friends call me Tony.”

“Mine call me Bucky, though it’s Captain on deck.”

“Well, Captain. Let’s set sail!”

Bucky huffed. “You need to stop ordering me around on my own damn ship.”


End file.
